Iowa Fast Facts and Key Resources

• Statehood: 1846

• US territory status: part of Michigan Territory in 1834, Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and Iowa Territory in 1838

• First extant federal census: 1850

• Available state censuses: 1856,1885, 1895,1905,1915,1925

• Statewide birth, death and marriage records begin: 1880

• Counties: 99

• Contact for vital records:

Iowa Department of Public Health Bureau of Health Statistics Lucas State Office Building 321 E. 12th St. Des Moines, IA50319 (515) 281-7689

<www.idph.state.ia.us/eh/health_statistics.asp>

Web Sites

• Cyndi’s List: Iowa

<cyndislist.com/ia.htrn>

• Gravestone Photo Project

< www.iowagravestones.org>

• Iowa: An American History and Genealogy Project

<freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~rkross/iowa>

Iowa Biographies Project

<rootsweb.com/~iabiog>

• Iowa Digital Map Library

< rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/maps/iowa>

• Iowa Documents

<kinyon.com/iowa>

• Iowa GenWeb Project <www.iagenweb.org>

• The Iowa Heritage Digital Collections

<iowaheritage.org>

• Iowa Military Records <freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~xander/iowa-records.htm>

• Iowa Old Press

<www.iowaoldpress.com>

• Iowa WPA Graves Survey

<iowawpagraves.org>

• Origin and Naming of Iowa Counties

<publications.iowa. gov/archive/00000135/01/history/7-5.pdf>

Resources

• The Annals of Iowa (SHSI)

• Discovering Your Iowa Civil War Ancestry by Steve Meyer (Meyer Publishing, out of print)

• The Family Tree Resource Book for Genealogists edited by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack and Erin Nevius (Family Tree Books)

• From Ackley to Zwingle: The Origins of Iowa Place Names by Harold E. Dilts (Iowa State Press, out of print)

• German Settlers of Iowa: Their Descendants and European Ancestors by Margaret Krug Palen (Heritage Books, out of print)

• How to Use the 1925 Census of Iowa (Iowa Genealogical Society)

• Iowa Atlas of Historical County Boundaries edited by John H. Long (Charles Scribner’s Sons)

• Iowa: The Middle Land by Dorothy Schwieder (Iowa State University Press)

• Iowa Vital Records: Marriages 1835-1900 CD (Genealogical Publishing Co.)

Organizations and Archives

• The Danish Immigrant Museum Family History and Genealogy Center

2212 Washington St., Elk Horn, IA51531. (712)764-7001, <dkmuseum.org>

• Iowa Genealogical Society

628 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50309, (515)276-0287, <iowagenealogy.org>

• Iowa Women’s Archives

University of Iowa Libraries, 100 Main Library, Iowa City, IA 52242, (319)335-5068, <lib.uiowa.edu/iwa>

• NARA Central Plains Region

2312 E. Bannister Road, Kansas City, MO 64131, (816) 268-8012, <archives.gov/central-plains/kansas-city>

• NARA Great Lakes Region

7358 S. Pulaski Road, Chicago, IL 60629, (773) 948-9000, <archives. gov/great-lakes/chicago>

• National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library

3016th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404, (319)362-8500, <www.ncsml.org>

• State Historical Society of Iowa — Des Moines

600 E. Locust St., Des Moines, IA 50319, (515) 281-6200, <www.iowahistory.org>

• State Historical Society of Iowa — Iowa City

402 Iowa Ave., Iowa City, IA 52240, (319) 335-3916, <www.iowahistory.org>

Timeline